Returning to Jedi: A Filmumentary

Many of the films in the Star Wars franchise have been re-released, both theatrically and on home media formats. Franchise creator George Lucas often altered the films for the re-releases. These alterations range from minor refinements (such as color grading and audio mixing) to major changes (such as the insertion of new dialogue, scenes, and visual effects). The original trilogy was altered the most, although revisions were also made to the prequel films. According to Lucas, some changes brought the films closer to his original vision, while others were attempts to create continuity with other films. Different versions of the Star Wars films have existed since the 1977 release of the original Star Wars film, which was retroactively subtitled Episode IV – A New Hope. However, the first major changes were made in 1997, when remastered Special Edition versions of the original trilogy films were released to commemorate the franchise's 20th anniversary. A major motivation for these changes was to test visual effects for the forthcoming prequel films, especially computer-generated imagery (CGI). Additional notable changes were made when the original trilogy was released on DVD in 2004, in an attempt to create more consistency with the prequel trilogy. More changes were made to the films for their Blu-ray release in 2011 and for their 4K Ultra HD release in 2019. Although some fans and critics felt that many of the smaller changes were innocuous or justified, most larger changes were received negatively—particularly those made to the original three films, the theatrical versions of which have never been officially released on home video in high definition. Although the master negatives of the original trilogy were dismantled, another set of high-quality duplicates was created for long-term preservation.